M. William Panek

William graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with a BFA in Stage Direction. Most recently, he staged The Brown Paper Box Co.'s actor-musician revival of Godspell. He also directed the world premiere of To Tree at the Heartland Studio, Reefer Madness! The Musical at the Viaduct Theater in 2010, and its subsequent 4/20 mountings in 2011 at Studio BE and 2012 at Stage 773. Past directing and assistant directing credits include And Then They Came For Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank, Pippin, Nine, The Last 5 Years, and performing in Leonard Bernstein's Mass. Since graduating, William was an artistic associate with The Orchard Project's 2007 session in Hunter, NY, a production assistant for 2008's The 24-Hour Musicals at Joe's Pub, and the business management assistant at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in 2011. He currently resides in Edgewater and can be found on Twitter @mwilliampanek.

The Village Theater at Cherry Hill is teaming up with the Michigan Shakespeare Festival (MSF) to expand its theatrical offerings by bringing special performances to Canton, MI next year. For three weeks in the summer of 2015, from July 29 - August 16, 2015, the Michigan Shakespeare Festival will present its 2015 Season lineup, which will consist of two Shakespeare plays and one classical comedy, to the Canton Community.

BroadwayWorld Chicago invited all winners, nominees, past winners and nominees, theater folk, superfans, board members and everyone else to the third annual BroadwayWorld Awards Celebration on January 9, 2013 at The Call nightclub in Chicago's Andersonville neighborhood. BroadwayWorld's Paul W. Thompson and The Call's Ashley Morgan once again co-hosted the event, with showtune videos presented by VJ Michael Hogan in between categories.

There's something so utterly intoxicating about a skilled tap dancer decked out in a spiffy tuxedo - top hat, tails, and all - commanding the audience's attention for a brilliantly exhausting routine. There's something even more so invigorating when a cast-full of local performers nail their respective, and original, routines. Many kudos are in order for Tammy Mader and her cast for their ability to bring such energy and skill to a dangerously saccharine show like My One and Only, currently running at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire.

For anyone who's ever lived in Chicago, has a fond spot in their heart for any incarnation of 'Grease,' or eaten a Whoopercheesie, American Theater Company's 'The Original Grease' is the show to see this summer.

'9 to 5' is a campy evening of harmless fun and 15 original toe-tapping ditties supplied by Miss Parton herself. It's nowhere near a perfect show, but for a strong dose of women power, this tour is a sure bet.

In all, the detailed attention to all the Mario Bros. incarnations is what makes 'Boobs and Goombas' such a hoot. It isn't a highbrow or heady evening. It's a fun, video game throwback burlesque parody ... and how many of those can you say you've been to?

While not every theatre in Chicago offers Student, General, or other Rush programs, a good handful offer tickets at a severely discounted rate to patrons who don't mind waiting until the day of performance.